Presenting a travel route

ABSTRACT

Techniques are provided for presenting a route using a route presentation that provides both a context map and one or more detail route maps. Narrative instructions for the route also may be presented. The presentation of the context map and the one or more detail route maps may be interactive. The route presentation also may be user controllable such that a user may control the portions of a route that are printed. The route presentation also may include a re-routing feature that allows a user to request that a new route be identified that avoids a particular maneuver or maneuvers in a route.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Divisional Application of and claims priority toU.S. application Ser. No. 10/330,563, filed on Dec. 30, 2002 and titled“Presenting a Travel Route,” the entire contents of which areincorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This document relates to presenting a travel route that shows a routebetween an origin location and a destination location.

BACKGROUND

A travel route between an origin location and a destination location maybe presented as a paper map with manually-highlighted routes forassistance in traveling from a departure point to a destination point. Acomputer system may draw a map for a travel route on a display screen.The map may be generated based on geographic information. The geographicinformation may include shape information, such as latitude andlongitude coordinates, to properly draw the location of roads, highways,hydrology, cities, and other objects on the map. A computer system maygenerate narrative text, such as driving directions or walkingdirections, that describes a travel route.

SUMMARY

In one general aspect, presenting a route includes accessing routeinformation for a route. At least one detail map is generated. The atleast one detail map includes a portion of the route such that thedetail map includes at most one of the origin location or thedestination location and maneuvers that are within a predetermineddistance from one another. The predetermined distance isprogrammatically-configurable or user configurable. The at least onedetail map are communicated to a user system for presentation on adisplay associated with the user system.

Implementations may include one or more of the following features. Forexample, a context map for that route that includes the origin locationand the destination location may be generated. The context map may begenerated to the user system for presentation on the display. Thecontext map may include an indication of the location of at least onedetail map. The context map may use a highlighted style to displayelements on the route and use a faded style to display elements that arenot on the route. The context map may include a variable road networkmap showing finer detail for geographic features near the route and lessdetail for geographic features farther from the route. The displayassociated with the user system may include a display screen, a printer,or a vehicle dashboard display screen.

The detail map may include a predetermined number of maneuvers that arewithin a predetermined distance from one another. The detail map mayinclude at least one point of interest. Narrative text associated withthe route may be generated and may be communicated to the user systemfor presentation on a display associated with the user system. Thedriving route may be a driving route or a walking route.

An animation of traveling the route may be generated. The animation maydisplay the route and at least one point of interest along the route.The animation may be user-controllable. The user may control thestarting and the stopping of displaying the route. When the animation isstopped, the animation may display any point of interests associatedwith the point of the route at which the animation is stopped.

In another general aspect, displaying a route includes displaying acontext map that includes an origin location, a destination location,and at least one user-selectable indicator associated with a detail mapthat includes a portion of the route such that the detail map includesat most one of the origin location or the destination location. Anindication that identifies a user-selectable indicator is received. Adetail map associated with the user-selectable indicator identified bythe received indication is displayed.

Implementations may include one or more of the features noted above andone or more of the following features. For example, the displayed detailmap may include a user-selectable indicator associated with the contextmap. An indication that identifies the user-selectable indicatorassociated with the context map may be received, and the context map maybe displayed in response to the received indication.

Narrative text associated with the route may be displayed. The displayednarrative text may correspond to a displayed detail map. A series ofdetail maps may be displayed and corresponding narrative text may bedisplayed with each detail map displayed. The display detail map andnarrative text may be controlled by commands entered by a user throughan animation control.

The displayed detail map may include at least one point of interest. Anindication that identifies a detail map may be received, and the detailmap and associated narrative text may be printed. An indication thatidentifies a maneuver in a route to be avoided may be received, and asecond route between the origin location and the destination locationmay be determined such that the second route does not include themaneuver.

Implementations of the techniques described may include a method orprocess, an apparatus or system, or computer software on acomputer-accessible medium. The details of one or more implementationsare set forth below. Other features will be apparent from thedescription and drawings, and from the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a communications system capable ofpresenting a route between origin and destination locations.

FIG. 2 is an expansion of the block diagram of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are diagrams illustrating route presentations that provideboth context route information and detailed route information.

FIG. 5 is a diagram depicting a route presentation that emphasizes theroute and provides context information.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing a process that displays a context mapthat uses a combination of vivid styles and faded styles and detail mapsassociated with the context map.

FIGS. 7 and 8 are diagrams illustrating the presentation of a route onan on-board navigation system.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the presentation of a route.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a system for presenting on avehicle display a map that is re-oriented based on the position of thevehicle.

Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.For brevity, several elements in the figures described below arerepresented as monolithic entities. However, as would be understood byone skilled in the art, these elements each may include numerousinterconnected computers and components designed to perform a set ofspecified operations and/or dedicated to a particular geographic region.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Techniques are provided for presenting a route that includes a detailmap in which the maneuvers are within a predetermined distance from oneanother. The route presentation provides both a context map and detailroute information. The detail route information typically is presentedas a map and narrative travel route instructions. A context map and adetail map may use different scales when presenting route information.In general, more than one detail map is associated with a context mapfor a route. The context map provides context for the route by includingboth the origin location and the destination location for the route, andby adjusting the amount of detail presented such that the entire routeis presented on a display. The detail map provides additional routeinformation for a portion of the route.

The route presentation may be interactive. For example, the context mapmay include one or more user-selectable portions that, when clicked orotherwise selected, present a detail map associated with theuser-selectable portion of the context map. The route presentation alsomay be user-controllable such that a user may select the portions of aroute that are printed. The route presentation also may include are-routing feature that allows a user to request identification of a newroute that avoids a particular maneuver or maneuvers in a current route.

For illustrative purposes, FIGS. 1 and 2 describe a communicationssystem that may present a route between origin and destinationlocations.

Referring to FIG. 1, a communications system 100 is capable ofdelivering and exchanging data between a client system 105 and a hostsystem 110 through a communications link 115. The client system 105typically includes one or more client devices 120 and/or clientcontrollers 125, and the host system 110 typically includes one or morehost devices 135 and/or host controllers 140. For example, the clientsystem 105 or the host system 110 may include one or moregeneral-purpose computers (e.g., personal computers), one or morespecial-purpose computers (e.g., devices specifically programmed tocommunicate with each other and/or the client system 105 or the hostsystem 110), or a combination of one or more general-purpose computersand one or more special-purpose computers. The client system 105 and thehost system 110 may be arranged to operate within or in concert with oneor more other systems, such as, for example, one or more LANs (“LocalArea Networks”) and/or one or more WANs (“Wide Area Networks”).

The client device 120 (or the host device 135) is generally capable ofexecuting instructions under the command of a client controller 125 (ora host controller 140). The client device 120 (or the host device 135)is connected to the client controller 125 (or the host controller 140)by a wired or wireless data pathway 130 or 145 capable of deliveringdata.

Each of the client device 120, the client controller 125, the hostdevice 135, and the host controller 140 typically includes one or morehardware components and/or software components. An example of a clientdevice 120 or a host device 135 is a general-purpose computer (e.g., apersonal computer) capable of responding to and executing instructionsin a defined manner. Other examples include a special-purpose computer,a workstation, a server, a device, a component, other physical orvirtual equipment or some combination thereof capable of responding toand executing instructions.

An example of the client controller 125 or the host controller 140 is asoftware application loaded on the client device 120 or the host device135 for commanding and directing communications enabled by the clientdevice 120 or the host device 135. Other examples include a program, apiece of code, an instruction, a device, a computer, a computer system,or a combination thereof, for independently or collectively instructingthe client device 120 or the host device 135 to interact and operate asdescribed. The client controller 125 and the host controller 140 may beembodied permanently or temporarily in any type of machine, component,physical or virtual equipment, storage medium, or propagated signalcapable of providing instructions to the client device 120 or the hostdevice 135.

The communications link 115 typically includes a delivery network 160that provides a direct or indirect communication link between the clientsystem 105 and the host system 110, irrespective of physical separation.Examples of a delivery network 160 include the Internet, the World WideWeb, WANs, LANs, analog or digital wired and wireless telephone networks(e.g., PSTN (“Public Switched Telephone Network”), ISDN (“IntegratedServices Digital Network”), and DSL (“Digital Subscriber Line”)including various forms of DSL such as SDSL (“Single-line DigitalSubscriber Line”), ADSL (“Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Loop), HDSL(“High bit-rate Digital Subscriber Line”), and VDSL (“Very high bit-rateDigital Subscriber Line)), radio, television, cable, satellite, and/orany other delivery mechanism for carrying data. The communications link115 may include communication pathways 150 and 155 that enablecommunications through the one or more delivery networks 160 describedabove. Each of the communication pathways 150 and 155 may include, forexample, a wired, wireless, cable or satellite communication pathway.

FIG. 2 illustrates a communication system 200 including a client system205 that communicates with a host system 210 through a communicationslink 215. Client system 205 typically includes one or more clientdevices 220 and one or more client controllers 225 for controlling theclient devices 220. Host system 210 typically includes one or more hostdevices 235 and one or more host controllers 240 for controlling thehost devices 235. The communications link 215 may include communicationpathways 250 and 255 that enable communications through the one or moredelivery networks 260.

Examples of each element within the communication system of FIG. 2 arebroadly described above with respect to FIG. 1. In particular, the hostsystem 210 and the communications link 215 typically have attributescomparable to those described with respect to the host system 110 andthe communications link 115 of FIG. 1, respectively. Likewise, theclient system 205 of FIG. 2 typically has attributes comparable to, andmay illustrate one possible implementation of, the client system 105 ofFIG. 1.

The client device 220 typically includes a general purpose computer 270having an internal or external storage 272 for storing data and programssuch as an operating system 274 (e.g., DOS, Windows®, Windows®95,Windows® 98, Windows® 2000, Windows® NT, Windows® Millennium Edition,Windows® XP, OS/2, and Linux) and one or more application programs.Examples of application programs include authoring applications 276(e.g., word processing, database programs, spreadsheet programs,presentation programs, and graphics programs) capable of generatingdocuments or other electronic content; client applications 278 (e.g.,AOL (“America Online”) client, CompuServe client, AIM (“America OnlineInstant Messenger”) client, AOL TV (“America Online Television”) client,and an ISP (“Internet Service Provider”) client) capable ofcommunicating with other computer users, accessing various computerresources, and viewing, creating, or otherwise manipulating electroniccontent; and browser applications 280 (e.g., Netscape's Navigator andMicrosoft's Internet Explorer) capable of rendering standard Internetcontent.

The general-purpose computer 270 also includes a central processing unit282 (CPU) for executing instructions in response to commands from theclient controller 225. In one implementation, the client controller 225includes one or more of the application programs installed on theinternal or external storage 272 of the general-purpose computer 270. Inanother implementation, the client controller 225 includes applicationprograms externally stored in and executed by one or more device(s)external to the general-purpose computer 270.

The general-purpose computer 270 typically includes a communicationdevice 284 for sending and receiving data. One example of thecommunication device 284 is a modem. Other examples include atransceiver, a set-top box, a communication card, a satellite dish, anantenna, or another network adapter capable of transmitting andreceiving data over the communications link 215 through a wired orwireless data pathway 250. The general-purpose computer 270 also mayinclude a TV (“television”) tuner 286 for receiving televisionprogramming in the form of broadcast, satellite, and/or cable TVsignals. As a result, the client device 220 can selectively and/orsimultaneously display network content received by the communicationsdevice 284 and television programming content received by the TV tuner286.

The general-purpose computer 270 typically includes an input/outputinterface 288 to enable a wired or wireless connection to variousperipheral devices 290. Examples of peripheral devices 290 include, butare not limited to, a mouse 291, a mobile phone 292, a personal digitalassistant 293 (PDA), a keyboard 294, a display monitor 295 with orwithout a touch screen input, and/or a TV remote control 296 forreceiving information from and rendering information to subscribers.Other examples may include voice recognition and synthesis devices.

Although FIG. 2 illustrates devices such as the mobile phone 292, thePDA 293, and the TV remote control 296 as being peripheral with respectto the general-purpose computer 270, in another implementation, suchdevices may themselves include the functionality of the general-purposecomputer 270 and operate as the client device 220. For example, themobile phone 292 or the PDA 293 may include computing and networkingcapabilities, and may function as a client device 220 by accessing thedelivery network 260 and communicating with the host system 210.Furthermore, the client system 205 may include one, some, all, or noneof the components and devices described above.

FIG. 3 illustrates a route presentation 300 that provides both contextroute information and detail route information. The route presentation300 may be displayed on a client system display, such as the display 295of FIG. 2. The route presentation 300 also may be printed on a printerassociated with a client system, such as the client system 105 of FIG. 1or the client system 205 of FIG. 2, or may be displayed on a displayassociated with an on-board vehicle navigation system. The context routeinformation is presented in the form of a map and may be referred to asa context map 310 or an overview map.

The context map 310 includes an origin location 330, a destinationlocation 335, and a route 340 between the origin location 330 and thedestination location 335. The context map 310 is uniformly scaled. Theuse of a uniform scale avoids distortion of distances and spatiallocations, which may be advantageous to a user of the context map 310.The context map 310 may use an aspect ratio that is optimized to providethe greatest route visibility when the context map 310 is displayed.

The context map 310 provides context for the route 340 by includinggeographic data 350 near the route. The geographic data 350 includes avariable road network display such that finer detail is provided nearthe route 340 and less detail, or even no detail, is provided fartheraway from the route 340. The geographic data 350 also may include othergeographic features, such as hydrology (e.g., rivers) and cities. Thecontext map 310 may include fewer labels for roads or other geographicfeatures as compared to the number of labels included in the detailroute information. Typically, the context map 310 includes only thelabels necessary to show context and provide spatial awareness to theuser of the route presentation 300.

The detail route information is presented as detailed maps 321-324. Eachof detail maps 321-324 presents a portion 361-364, respectively, of theroute 340. The detail map 321 includes the origin location 330, and thedetail map 324 includes the destination location 335. In general, eachof the detail maps 321-324 includes greater detail and geographicfeatures than are included in the context map 310 for the correspondingportion of the route 340. For example, each of the detail maps 321-324may include a full road network.

The detail maps 321-324 also may include places of interest to providedetail for portions 361-364 of the route 340. A place of interest (POI)may also be referred to as a point of interest. For example, the detailmaps 322 and 323 include, respectively, POI 382 and POI 383. Examples ofPOIs include gas stations, restaurants, lodging, entertainment andeducational opportunities (such as amusement parks, water parks, movietheaters, night spots, museums, and libraries), and historical or othertypes of landmarks.

The detail maps 321-324 represent a POI using a symbol, a bit-mappedimage, or another type of image (collectively, “symbols”). A symbol mayrepresent a type of POI (e.g., a lodging POI, a gas station, ahistorical landmark) or a particular POI (e.g., the United StatesCapitol or an amusement park may be represented by a particular symbolthat is only used for that POI). Some implementations may use a singlesymbol to represent all POIs regardless of the type of the POI. Theinclusion of POIs in the detail maps 321-324 may help a user to planactivities along the route. The inclusion of POIs also may provide anopportunity for the route presentation provider to obtain revenue bycharging for the display of a POI on the detail maps, which may helpcreate or invigorate a market for route presentation services.

In some implementations, a detail map may include different types ofPOIs along different portions of the route. For example, a route along astate road may include a scenic vista POI, a historic landmark POI, anda park POI, while a route along an interstate highway includes POIs forgas, food and lodging opportunities.

Additionally or alternatively, the types of POI presented may be basedon the length of the route and the POI location along the route. Forexample, when a route is long and an overnight stay may be anticipated,convenience store POIs and gas station POIs may dominate thepresentation of POIs near the origin location. As the route progresses,gas stations, fast-food restaurants, and hotels may dominate thepresentation of POIs. Near the destination, hotels, full servicerestaurants, entertainment and nightspots, and tourist destinations maydominate the presentation of POIs. The types and proximities of POIspresented may be controllable by the user. For example, a user mayselect to drive eight hours in a day and hotels approximately eighthours away may be displayed (e.g., hotels that are less than six hoursor more than ten hours are not displayed).

The context map 310 includes detail map indications 391-394, each ofwhich indicates the portion of the route 340 included in a correspondingdetail map. This may provide context such as where along the route thedetail map is located (e.g., near the origin, near the destination, orin the middle of the route). The detail map location (or region ofdetail) may be indicated, for example, by an outline (here, a dottedoutline), a transparent shaded region drawn over the overview map, or arepresentation of a magnifying glass.

A context map 310 and a detail map 321, 322, 323 or 324 may usedifferent scales when presenting route information. A detail map 321,322, 323 or 324 may use the same or different scale as another detailmap 321, 322, 323 or 324 for the context map 310.

The route presentation 300 may be interactive. For example, the contextmap 310 may include one or more user-selectable portions that, whenclicked or otherwise selected, present a corresponding detail map. Theuser-selectable portion may be the same as or different from the detailmap indication 391-394 on the context map. The user also may select tore-display the context map 310 after viewing the detail map, forexample, by activating a control, such as a button or icon. The controlmay be referred to as a user-selectable indicator associated with thecontext map. The user may select to display another detail map. The usermay continue to switch between the context map and a detail map.

The interactive presentation of detail maps may be advantageous,particularly when a user is familiar with a portion of the route anddoes not wish to receive detailed route information for the portion.With an interactive display, the user is able to select the portions ofthe route for which the user requires additional detail.

In some implementations, the context map may be a static map that maynot be re-scaled or re-centered by the user. This may provide moreefficient updating methods, such as using overlay planes or a storedbitmap of the context map, that may avoid redrawing the map when theuser re-displays the context map after the display of a detail map.

The route presentation also may be user-controllable such that a usermay determine the portions of a route that are printed. This may bereferred to as interactive print control. Interactive print control mayallow greater user control over the printing of map route details. Withinteractive printing, the user is able to select the portions of theroute for which the user requires additional detail and print only theselected portions. For example, the user may select one or more detailmaps to be printed. This may be particularly advantageous when a user isfamiliar with a portion of the route, such as a portion of the routenear the home of the user, and the user only wants to print the portionof the route that is unfamiliar or not as familiar to the user.

The route presentation 300 may be implemented by using a clientapplication, such as client application 278 of FIG. 2, on a clientsystem, such as the client system 105 of FIG. 1 or the client system 205of FIG. 2. The host system, such as the host system 110 of FIG. 1 or thehost system 210 of FIG. 2, may send data associated with the context map310 to the client system for display. While the client system displaysthe context map 310, the host system sends the data associated with thedetail maps 321-324 to the client system such that the detail map datais available at the client system when the user wants to display adetail map 321, 322, 323 or 324.

FIG. 4 describes a particular implementation of a route presentation 400that provides context route information and detail route information,and includes interactive controls. The route presentation 400 may bedisplayed on a client system display, such as display 295 of FIG. 2,displayed on an on-board vehicle navigation system, or printed. Theroute presentation 400 includes a context map portion 410, a detailinset map portion 420, a narrative driving direction portion 425, and ananimation control 430.

The context map portion 410 displays a context map that provides avariable road network display across the map such that finer detail ispresented on the map near the route and less detail is presented on themap farther away from the route, as described previously with respect tocontext map 310 of FIG. 3. The context map portion 410 includes anindication 435 of the location of the detail insert map 420.

The detail insert map portion 420 presents a detail insert map thatincludes a complete road network and labels, as described previouslywith respect to detail maps 321-324 of FIG. 3 for a portion of theroute. The detail insert map also may include POIs and geographicfeatures to provide detail for the area covered by the detail map. Thedetailed insert map portion 420 uses a display area having a fixedgeometric shape (e.g., rectangular) and a fixed size.

The detail insert map includes the maneuvers that occur within apredetermined distance of one another. Such a detailed map may bereferred to as a maneuver map. The maneuvers are grouped to form asingle detail insert map of multiple maneuvers. In the example shown byFIG. 4, the detail insert map includes the maneuvers of merging on ahighway, exiting the highway at a particular toll road exit, merging onthe toll road, and exiting the toll road at a particular exit toward aparticular direction. Another detail insert map may include a series ofturns in an urban area that occur within a predetermined distance (e.g.,two miles) of one another.

In some implementations, a detail map may include a predetermined numberof maneuvers that occur within a predetermined distance of one another.The predetermined number of maneuvers may be established based on amaximum number of maneuvers that may occur in one detail map, which maybe particularly useful in an urban setting in which a large number ofmaneuvers may occur within a short distance.

A detail insert map that covers multiple maneuvers may be beneficial.For example, fewer detail maps are produced as compared with producing aseparate detail map for each maneuver. This may result in displayefficiency and a reduction in the number of pages required to print aroute, that, in turn, may result in greater user satisfaction.

The narrative driving direction portion 425 displays a scrolling list oftext descriptions of each maneuver 436-439 presented in order ofoccurrence as the route is traversed. Each of maneuvers 436-439 isassociated with a corresponding one of distances 440-443 at which themaneuver occurs relative to the previous maneuver. The narrative drivingdirections portion 425 includes a total distance of the route 445 and anamount of time estimated to travel the route 447. The displayedmaneuvers 436-439 correspond to the maneuvers shown within the detailinset map displayed in the detail inset map portion 420. In someimplementations, the presented narrative driving directions maycorrespond to the position of a cursor or other type of indicator on thecontext map in the context map portion 410.

The presentation route 400 includes interactive controls that allow theuser to display a detail insert map 420 and a maneuver in the narrativedriving direction portion 425 that corresponds to a position on thecontext map in the context map portion 410 selected by the user.Similarly, when a user selects a particular maneuver included in thenarrative driving directions portion 420, a cursor or other type ofindicator may be presented on the overview map at a point thatcorresponds to the selected maneuver. A detail insert map 425 also maybe automatically invoked or manually selected to present the selectedmaneuver. In some implementations, the interactive control may includecontrolling the display of a particular detail insert map only byselecting a position on the context map (e.g., the narrative drivingdirections do not control the display of a detail insert map).

The animation control 430 permits a user to play an animation oftraveling the route that displays a series of detail insert maps 425 andnarrative driving directions 425 associated with each detail insert mapas the detail insert map is displayed. Each detail insert map ispresented in order from the origin location to the destination locationuntil all detail insert maps have been presented or the animation hasbeen paused or stopped. POI information, such as text and/or one or moreimages associated with a POI, may be presented on the detail insert mapin the detail insert map portion 425. Additionally or alternatively, POIinformation may be displayed in a separate POI portion or overlaid onthe context map 410.

The animation control 430 may include a play control 450, a pausecontrol 451, a stop control 452, a position control 453, and,optionally, volume controls 454 and 455. The user may use the playcontrol 450 to start the animation sequence, the pause control 451 topause the animation sequence such that the animation may be restartedfrom the point at which the animation was paused, and the stop control452 to stop the animation sequence. The user may use the positioncontrol 453 (here, a sliding bar) to select the point in the route fromwhich the animation will start when the play control 450 is selected.

In some implementations, audio may be associated with the route. Forexample, audio may be associated with a POI on or near the route. Whenaudio is associated with the route, the volume of the audio may becontrolled using volume controls 454 and 455. Volume control 454increases the volume at which the audio associated with the route isplayed, while volume control 455 decreases the volume at which the audioassociated with the route is played.

In some implementations, the POI information is displayed for aparticular location along the route when the animation is stopped at thelocation. In such an implementation, the user may control the animationto stop at various points in the animation and determine what points ofinterest are on the route or near the location at which the animation isstopped.

In some implementations, the route presentation 400 may includealternative or additional interactive controls such that, when a userdrags a cursor along, or otherwise selects, points along the route, theuser may get a magnified image (e.g., a zoomed-in image) of the routethat includes POI information.

The route presentation 400 includes an avoid indicator 460 that allows auser to avoid a particular maneuver in the route. For example, a usermay wish to avoid traveling through a construction zone or a portion ofa route in which the speed fluctuates, predictably or unpredictably,over the course of a day. When the user selects the avoid indicator 460,a different route is determined from the origin location to thedestination location that does not include the maneuver associated withthe avoid indicator 460 (e.g., maneuver 436). In some implementations, auser may indicate that more than one maneuver in a route is to beavoided.

The route presentation 400 may be implemented using a host system, suchas the host system 110 of FIG. 1 or the host system 210 of FIG. 2, tosend data for all or a portion of the map or route to a client system,such as the client system 105 of FIG. 1 or the client system 205 of FIG.2. The client system stores the data received. In some cases, removablemedia may be used to transport map or route data to the client system.Storing route data or map data needed for the route presentation 400 mayresult in a more efficient display process than if the route data or mapdata is accessed from the host system. A more efficient display processmay lead to a faster display process that may, in turn, result inimproved user satisfaction.

FIG. 5 illustrates a particular implementation of a context map 510 thatemphasizes the route and provides context information. Although notshown by FIG. 5, the context map 510 may use a vivid color or vividcolors to display the route 520, and a faded style of pastel colors orother desaturated colors for the non-route context information 530, suchas geographic data 350 of FIG. 3. This may result in a context map 510in which the vivid colors of the route 520 stand out over the fadedstyle of the non-route context information 530 to emphasize the route520. In this manner, the context map 510 emphasizes the route andprovides context information for the route.

A route map that uses a faded style for non-route context informationand a vivid style for route elements may be implemented by using two ormore sets of style information to control the manner in which objectsare displayed in the map. Style information may include, for example,color, width of lines, font size and type of text, or patterns that areassociated with an element drawn with a particular style. A particularset of style information to present a faded style may be associated withthe presentation of non-route objects (e.g., elements that are includedin context information). This may be referred to as a faded style.Another set of style information to present a highlighted or vivid stylemay be associated with the presentation of route objects (e.g., roads,labels of roads, and labels of cities included in the route). This maybe referred to as a vivid style or a highlighted style.

A map may be produced using the faded style as a default for objects inthe map. Map elements included in the route may be displayed in a vividstyle by using the vivid style to override the default faded style.Alternatively or additionally, a highlight line that is a wider lineand/or a translucent color line (such as a purple translucent line or ayellow translucent line) may overlay the route elements in the display.

The context map 510 also includes detail map indications 540, 545, 550,555 for detail maps that provide detail route information for the route520. Each detail map indication 540, 545, 550 or 555 is associated witha label 560, 565, 570 or 575, respectively. As shown, each label may bepresented in the form of a letter.

FIG. 6 depicts a process 600 for displaying a context map with acombination of vivid and faded styles, as described previously withrespect to context map 510 of FIG. 5, and detail maps associated withthe context map. The process 600 causes the context map to be displayedfor a particular implementation of a routing system that generates aroute by processing directed links (e.g., one-way edges) in a graph thatincludes one or more links and two or more nodes. The graph represents anetwork of roads. The context map, for example, may be the context map310 of FIG. 3, the context map 410 of FIG. 4, or the context map 510 ofFIG. 5. The process 600 may be performed, for example, by a host system,such as the host system 110 of FIG. 1 or the host system 210 of FIG. 2.

The process 600 begins when the host system accesses one or more linksthat make up a route (step 610). The host system then determines aregion for the context map, including the origin location and thedestination location, based on the links accessed and the display areafor the context map (step 620). For example, the host system maydetermine a route region for the context map by finding the best fit ofthe route links using a conventional best-fit process and adding marginsaround the edges such that the map region is a regular shape, such as arectangle, and to fit the display area.

The host system then accesses map data that includes elements (orobjects) for a particular portion of geographic data that includes theroute to be presented (step 630). An example of an element includes acity, an item of hydrology, or a road that is to appear on the map. Eachelement in the map data may be associated with attribute information, adefault style, and a highlight style. Attribute information may includean attribute identifier, an attribute name, and an attribute type. Anattribute identifier uniquely identifies the element, and the attributename reflects a name for the element. Elements may be grouped into oneof several attribute types. Examples of an attribute type include apark, a road, or a body of water.

Each attribute is associated with geometry information that aids ingenerating the shape and other display attributes of an element to bedisplayed on a map. The geometry for an element may be determinedthrough the use of a grid pattern or longitude and latitude markings foran element to be displayed.

Each attribute may be associated with a default style that denotes theway that the element is presented in a map when the element is not anelement in the route. Each attribute also may be associated with ahighlight style that denotes the manner in which the element isdisplayed in a map when the element is an element in a route. Asdiscussed previously with respect to FIG. 5, the default style may be afaded style that includes pastel colors whereas the highlight style mayuse a vivid style that includes vivid colors.

The host system then generates the context map based on the determinedmap region and the accessed map data (step 640). The host systemdisplays the elements in a context map using the default style for eachelement that is not included in the route and using a highlighted stylefor each element that is included in the route. Steps 610-640 may bereferred to as a generate context map sub-process 645.

The host system determines the maneuvers to be included in each detailmap (step 650). For example, the host system identifies maneuvers thatoccur within a predetermined distance of one another and groups theidentified maneuvers. The group of identified maneuvers is included in adetail map, and the host system identifies another group of maneuvers.In some implementations, the host system may include only a singlemaneuver in a detail map. For example, a detail map may include only onemaneuver when the detail map is for a long route and a maneuver duringthe middle of the route includes a turn from one interstate highway ontoanother interstate highway.

The host system generates an indication that corresponds to each detailmap location on the context map (step 660). The detail map location maybe indicated, for example, by an outline, a transparent shaded region,or representation of a magnifying glass, as described above with respectto FIG. 3.

The host system then generates each detail map (step 670). For eachdetail map, the host system may access map data, determine the mapregion using route links, and display area information for the linksinvolved in the maneuvers included in the detail map, and generate thedetail map.

Steps 650-670 may be referred to as a process map detail sub-process675.

The host system may generate narrative text that corresponds to theroute (step 680). The narrative text may be a scrolling list of textdescriptions for each maneuver, such as the narrative driving portion425 of FIG. 4.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, a map 710 of a route is presented on adisplay 720 in a vehicle traveling the route (e.g., the display is partof an on-board vehicle navigation system). The position of the vehicleis determined using, for example, a global positioning system (GPS)receiver, and the map 710 is re-oriented based on the position of thevehicle as the vehicle travels the route. The map 710 is atwo-dimensional map that presents the perspective of traveling the routefrom a vehicle driver's perspective (e.g., slightly above the route).Some implementations may use a more conventional representation, such asthe context map 310 of FIG. 3, the detail maps 321-324 of FIG. 3, thecontext map 410 of FIG. 4, the detail insert map 420 of FIG. 4, and thecontext map 510 of FIG. 5. The map includes a representation 730 of thevehicle that corresponds to the location of the vehicle on the map 710.The map 710 is re-oriented relative to the top of the display 720 suchthat the representation 730 of the vehicle moves toward the top of thedisplay 720 as the vehicle traverses the route.

For example, initially a vehicle may be traveling in one direction, asillustrated in FIG. 7. When the vehicle travels in a differentdirection, the map 710 is re-oriented relative to the top of the display720 as shown in FIG. 8. The representation 730 of the vehicle isdepicted in FIG. 8 based on the actual location of the vehicle. In someimplementations, a representation 730 of the vehicle may not be includedin the display.

FIG. 9 illustrates a map 910 of the route that may be animated in adisplay 920 regardless of the location of a vehicle. For example, ananimated sequence of detail maps, such as detail maps 321-324 of FIG. 3,that include a representation of a vehicle traversing the route may bepresented. A user may use animation controls 925 to control theanimation. The user may use a play control 930 to start the animationsequence, a pause control 940 to pause the animation sequence such thatthe animation may be restarted from the point at which the animation waspaused, and a stop control 950 to stop the animation sequence. The useralso may use a position control 960 (here, a sliding bar) to select theposition of the vehicle from which the animation will play when the playcontrol 930 is selected.

One or more symbols (not shown) that represent POIs may be presented.Examples of POIs may include a restaurant, lodging (e.g., a hotel,motel, or inn), a gas station, an entertainment opportunity (e.g., movietheatre, a shopping mall, or an amusement park), a historical landmark,and a nature spot (e.g., a scenic overlook or park). The user may selecta symbol displayed on the map and information associated with the symbolmay be displayed. For example, a user may select a lodging symbol toinvoke display of the name, address, and/or telephone number of a hotelassociated with the lodging symbol.

In some implementations, the distance from the start of the route to theposition of the vehicle representation on the route may be displayed, asmay be an estimated amount of time to travel the distance. Audio may bepresented to describe the route, points of interest along the route, orother information. When an implementation includes audio, the animationcontrols 925 may include volume controls 970 for increasing anddecreasing the volume of the audio.

Referring to FIG. 10, a system 1000 is capable of presenting on avehicle display a map that is re-oriented based on vehicle position. Thesystem 1000 includes a map display system 1010, a GPS 1015, anelectronic compass 1020, and a dashboard display device 1025. The system1000 optionally includes a peripheral storage device 1030 and a hostsystem 1035. The map display system 1010, the GPS 1015, the electroniccompass 1020, the dashboard display device 1025, and the optionalperipheral storage device 1030 are physically located in a vehicletraveling a route (as indicated by the dotted line).

The map display system 1010 includes a vehicle orientation processor1040, a storage unit 1045, a GPS interface 1050, an electronic compassinterface 1055, a dashboard display device interface 1060, an optionalperipheral storage interface 1065, an optional wireless communicationcontroller 1070, and a system bus 1075. The vehicle orientationprocessor 1040 is a central processing unit (CPU) that processesexecutable instructions. The storage unit 1045 stores executableinstructions and data.

The GPS interface 1050 is capable of exchanging messages with GPS 1015through communications pathway 1080. The electronic compass interface1055 is capable of exchanging information with electronic compass 1020through a communication pathway 1081. Dashboard display device interface1060 is capable of sending and receiving communications with thedashboard display device 1025 through a communications pathway 1082.

The peripheral storage interface 1065 is capable of sending andreceiving communications with the peripheral storage device 1030 througha communications pathway 1083. The peripheral storage interface 1065 maybe necessary only when the map display system 1010 includes a peripheralstorage device 1030.

The wireless communication controller 1070 is capable of exchangingwireless communications with the host system 1035 through a wirelesscommunications pathway 1084. The wireless communication controller 1070only may be necessary when the map display system 1010 includes a hostsystem.

The system bus 1075 provides a series of parallel connections to allowcommunication between the vehicle orientation processor 1040, thestorage unit 1045, the GPS interface 1050, the electronic compassinterface 1055, the dashboard display device interface 1060, theperipheral storage interface 1065, and the wireless communicationcontroller 1070.

The GPS 1015 is capable of determining the location of the vehicle, suchas the longitude and latitude of the vehicle. The GPS 1015 sends thelocation of the vehicle to the vehicle orientation processor 1040 usingthe communications pathway 1080, the GPS interface 1050, and the systembus 1075.

The electronic compass 1020 is capable of determining the direction inwhich the vehicle is traveling. The electronic compass 1020 sends thedirection in which the vehicle is traveling to the vehicle orientationprocessor 1040 using the communications pathway 1081, the electroniccompass interface 1055, and the system bus 1075.

The vehicle orientation processor 1040 accesses a route map. Forexample, the vehicle orientation processor 1040 may access a route mapreceived from the host system 1035 using the communications pathway1084, the wireless communication controller 1070, and system bus 1075.The vehicle orientation processor 1040 also may access a route mapstored on media associated with the peripheral storage device 1030 usingthe communications pathway 1083, the peripheral storage interface 1065,and the system bus 1075.

The vehicle orientation processor 1040 receives messages from the GPS1015 and the electronic compass 1020. The vehicle orientation processor1040 uses those messages to determine the appropriate orientation of theroute map relative to the dashboard display device 1025, as describedpreviously with respect to FIGS. 7 and 8. The vehicle orientationprocessor 1040 may compare information about the current direction inwhich the vehicle is traveling as received from the electronic compass1020 with information about the current displayed orientation of the mapto determine whether the map orientation displayed on dashboard displaydevice 1025 should be changed. When the map orientation should bechanged, the vehicle orientation processor 1040 re-displays the map onthe dashboard display device 1025 in the orientation appropriate for thedirection that the vehicle is traveling. For example, the vehicleorientation processor 1040 may send the map in the appropriateorientation through system bus 1075 to the dashboard display deviceinterface 1060. The dashboard display device interface 1060 thendisplays the appropriately oriented map using communication pathway 1082to the dashboard display device 1025.

For example, the vehicle may be traveling toward the north after makinga turn onto a particular road, and the particular road on which thevehicle is traveling may be depicted on the map displayed on thedashboard display device such that the road extends from the left sideof the display to the right side of the display. The vehicle orientationprocessor 1040 may receive from the electronic compass 1020 a messagethat indicates the vehicle is traveling toward the north. The vehicleorientation processor 1040 may receive from the GPS 1015 a message thatindicates the vehicle is located at a particular position. The vehicleorientation processor 1040 may determine the road on which the vehicleis located by comparing the location of the vehicle with locationsincluded on the map displayed on the dashboard display device 1025. Thevehicle orientation processor 1040 may determine whether the road onwhich the vehicle is traveling is depicted on the dashboard displaydevice 1025 in an appropriate orientation. Specifically, the vehicleorientation processor 1040 may determine whether the road on which thevehicle is traveling is depicted with the northern portion of the roaddirected at the top of the display. If not, the vehicle orientationprocessor 1040 may send to the dashboard display interface 1060 usingthe system bus 1075 the map to be displayed in the correct orientation(e.g., the road on which the vehicle traveling is depicted as traversingfrom the bottom toward the top of the display). The dashboard displaydevice interface 1060 then controls the dashboard display device 1025 todisplay the map in an appropriate orientation relative to the directionin which the vehicle is traveling.

It is important to note that the vehicle orientation processor 1040 doesnot necessarily control the display such that the vehicle is alwaystraveling directly up. For example, the vehicle orientation processormay be constrained to rotating the depicted map in increments of 90°,and may select the orientation of the depicted map that causes movementof the vehicle to have the largest upward component. An indication ofthe orientation of the map (e.g., an indication of where North is) maybe displayed.

The vehicle orientation processor 1040 also may determine whether adifferent map should be displayed on the dashboard display device 1025based on the current position of the vehicle as indicated by a messagesprovided by the GPS 1015. When the vehicle orientation processor 1040determines that a different map should be displayed, the vehicleorientation processor 1040 accesses the map, for example bycommunicating with the host system 1035 or by accessing media associatedwith peripheral storage device 1030. The vehicle orientation processor1040 sends the map through system bus 1075 to the dashboard displaydevice interface 1060. The dashboard display device interface 1060 thendisplays the map using communication pathway 1082 to the dashboarddisplay device 1025.

In some implementations, the functions performed by the vehicleorientation processor 1040 may be performed by a processor that alsoperforms other functions, such as a processor associated with anon-board navigation guidance system.

Although FIGS. 1-10 illustrate systems and methods for presenting adriving route, the techniques are not limited to driving routes. Thesetechniques may be applicable to presenting a route for other modes oftransportation (e.g., walking or bicycling). These techniques may beapplicable, for example, to one or more computing devices used forpresenting a preferred route that communicate in a client system andhost system (e.g., an Internet access provider or an Internet serviceprovider) relationship, a single computing device (e.g., with or withoutnetworking capabilities), or an embedded system (e.g., a navigationrouting system in an automobile or other vehicle).

Although the techniques and concepts have been described in which a hostsystem presents a travel route, another type of computing device alsomay be used to perform the described techniques and concepts. Forexample, a general-purpose computer accessible to a network, such as ina peer-to-peer relationship, an on-board navigation system in a vehicle,a general-purpose computer capable of accessing route data, or anothertrusted computer system may be used to perform the functions describedas being performed by the host system.

Implementations may include a method or process, an apparatus or system,or computer software on a computer medium. It is intended that variousmodifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe following claims. For example, advantageous results still could beachieved if steps of the disclosed techniques were performed in adifferent order and/or if components in the disclosed systems werecombined in a different manner and/or replaced or supplemented by othercomponents. Other implementations are within the scope of the followingclaims.

1. A computer-implemented method for presenting a route, the methodcomprising: accessing route information for a route that includes anorigin location and a destination location; generating a context mapthat includes the origin location, the destination location, and a routebetween the origin location and destination location; generating atleast one detail map, associated with the context map, that includes aportion of the route such that the detail map includes at most one ofthe origin location or the destination location and maneuvers that arewithin a predetermined distance from one another; generating ananimation of traveling the route, the animation displaying the route andat least one point of interest along the route; and communicating the atleast one detail map and the context map to a user system for concurrentpresentation on a display associated with the user system, and whereinthe animation is user-controllable such that a user controls thestarting and the stopping of displaying the route, and when theanimation is stopped, the animation displays the at least one point ofinterest associated with the point of the route at which the animationis stopped.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the context mapcomprises generating the context map to include an indication of thelocation of the detail map.
 3. The method of claim 1 further comprisinggenerating narrative text associated with the route and enablingdisplaying of the narrative text to a user system for presentation on adisplay associated with the user system.
 4. The method of claim 1further comprising generating a list of maneuvers which includes atleast the maneuvers included in the detail map.
 5. The method of claim 1wherein the detail map that includes a portion of the route is displayedwithin the context map.
 6. The method of claim 1 wherein the context mapincludes finer detail for geographic features relatively close to theroute and less detail for geographic features relatively far from theroute.
 7. The method of claim 1 further comprising enabling control ofthe animation based on user input of the starting and the stopping ofdisplaying the route; and displaying, when the animation is stopped, theat least one point of interest associated with the point of the route atwhich the animation is stopped.
 8. A computer-implemented method fordisplaying a route, the method comprising: displaying for a route, acontext map that includes an origin location, a destination location,and at least one user-selectable indicator associated with a detail map,wherein the detail map includes: a portion of the route having at mostone of the origin location or the destination location, maneuvers arewithin a predetermined distance from one another, and a user-selectableindicator associated with the context map; accessing an indication thatidentifies the user-selectable indicator associated with the contextmap; displaying the context map in response to the accessed indication;displaying, concurrent with and on a single display as the context map,a detail map associated with the user-selectable indicator identified bythe accessed indication; displaying narrative text associated with theroute that corresponds to a displayed detail map; and displaying aseries of detail maps and narrative text associated with each displayeddetail map concurrently.
 9. The method of claim 8 wherein displaying theseries of detail maps and narrative text associated with each displayeddetail map concurrently comprises displaying a series of detail maps andnarrative text associated with each displayed detail map using commandsentered by a user through an animation control.
 10. The method of claim8 further comprising generating the context map to include an indicationof the location of one of the at least one detail map.
 11. The method ofclaim 8 further comprising displaying narrative text associated with theroute.
 12. The method of claim 8 further comprising generating a list ofmaneuvers which includes at least the maneuvers included in the detailmap.
 13. The method of claim 8 further comprising displaying, with thecontext map, the detail map that includes a portion of the route. 14.The method of claim 8 further comprising including, within the contextmap, a variable road network map showing finer detail for geographicfeatures relatively close to the route and less detail for geographicfeatures relatively far from the route.
 15. A computer-implementedmethod for displaying a route, the method comprising: displaying for aroute, a context map that includes an origin location, a destinationlocation, and at least one user-selectable indicator associated with adetail map, the detail map including a portion of the route having atmost one of the origin location or the destination location andmaneuvers are within a predetermined distance from one another;accessing an indication that identifies a user-selectable indicator;displaying, concurrent with and on a single display as the context map,a detail map associated with the user-selectable indicator identified bythe accessed indication; displaying an indication that identifies amaneuver in the route to be avoided; and causing a second route betweenthe origin location and the destination location to be determined suchthat the second route does not include the maneuver.
 16. The method ofclaim 15 further comprising displaying, within the context map, anindication of the location of the detail map.
 17. The method of claim 15further comprising generating narrative text associated with the route.18. The method of claim 15 further comprising generating a list ofmaneuvers which includes at least the maneuvers included in the detailmap.
 19. The method of claim 15 further comprising displaying, withinthe context map, the detail map that includes a portion of the route.20. The method of claim 15 further comprising including, within thecontext map, a variable road network map showing finer detail forgeographic features relatively close to the route and less detail forgeographic features relatively far from the route.
 21. The method ofclaim 15 wherein causing a second route between the origin location andthe destination location to be determined includes causing adetermination of the second route that extends between at least aportion of the area from the origin location to the destinationlocation, but that does not include the maneuver.